


For The Grace Of God

by storyhaus



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, past angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 21:32:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19028350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storyhaus/pseuds/storyhaus
Summary: Truth or Dare? Jack chooses truth and tells them about a frighteningly dark and stormy night.





	For The Grace Of God

**Author's Note:**

> A little catharsis after the Memorial Day weather events.

For The Grace of God

"Okay Jack," Bozer smiled, "truth or dare?"

"Truth." Jack said surpising them all since he usually took the dare so as not to reveal any of his past to them.

_Sometimes you have to keep your kids on their toes,_ he mused.

"Tell us something frightening that happened to you before you joined the Army." Bozer said.

"Something from your childhood." Riley added.

Jack took a swallow of beer and stared at the fire nodding slowly.

"I was seventeen...it was Memorial day...there were parades and barbecues with friends and family but my Pop always took us to the cemetary to remember what the day was about.

"I remember it so clearly..."

_'Come on now! Steal the base for petesake!'_

_Jack chuckled glancing over at his father then returning to his book._

_We interrupt the ball game to bring you this weather report._

_Jack lowered his book as his father leaned forward._

_There was a tornado warning alert, it was 9:05 p.m._

_'That's a few counties north of us, we're okay', his father said nodding and rising._

_'Pop?'_

_'Just gonna get some supplies together junior, you never can tell with these storms...'_

_Jack followed his father and helped get flashlights, a radio and some blankets together along with the first-aid kit and they carted it all down to the basement before returning to the living room where the weather people were still on._

_Jack's mom and sister joined them and they watched the storms get worse, more tornado's...as it grew closer to their county._

_When the tornado sirens near them started running Jack senior ushered them all downstairs to their designated tornado shelter area._

_Jack looked at his family, he was admittedly nervous, he'd never been through an actual tornado, they'd had a few times when the sirens went off but it never felt this close to them._

_He felt his father squeeze his shoulder and it eased some of his anxiety._

_They had a small television and were following the weather on it as they listened to the sirens activate once, twice, three and four times over the next few hours._

_The family watched the lightening flashes through the basement windows, the power flickered several times and Jack gripped the flashlight tighter ready to turn it on to banish some of the darkness._

_They listened as tornado after tornado was reported._

_The family had retreated to the basement at 10:30 p.m and didn't go upstairs until 12:20 a.m._

_Their power was still on so they took a look outside and were relieved to find they had been spared._

"We were lucky, the tornado's missed us but only a few miles away people lost their homes.

"Mom and Pop sent us to bed but stayed up until 2 a.m when our tornado watch was finally over."

"I can't even imagine that." Riley said.

"That's all the news crews reported on for days." Jack nodded.

"I wanted to go and look at the damage but my Pop said something to me I'll never forget...

_" 'Son, those people have suffered enough they don't need you staring at their misery.'_

"He also didn't want us getting in the way of first responders and the fact power lines were down making it even more dangerous since they could still be live wires.

"It so easily could have been us that night." Jack sighed.

"I think about that night whenever I hear about tornado across the country.

"I say a little prayer for the people affected." He said and took a swallow of beer.

Riley leaned over and hugged him followed by Bozer and Mac.

"We love you big guy and I'm glad you made it through that night okay." Mac added.

"Me too bud, me too." Jack said quietly.


End file.
